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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 0:58:48 GMT -6
“Excuse me miss, could I possibly interest you in … miss? Hello?”
The older woman’s voice was merely an irritating buzz in Magdalen’s ear as she surveyed the busy marketplace, right hand on her hip and lips parted to exhale an exasperated sigh. It had been a month and a half since she’d returned to Terra following her lengthily exile … and yet it was still difficult for her to endure its large, bustling crowds – especially in such a cramped area. A gentle tug on the sleeve of her blouse finally succeeded in capturing her attention, and she turned to see the same vendor staring at her with a puzzled expression.
“No thank you,” she answered with a small smile. “It’s beautiful but I’m afraid I’ve already spent all of the money I had on me.”
The emerald-green shawl draped loosely from the rack was in fact quite lovely, but Magdalen had neither the funds nor the interest when it came to purchasing such a thing. Even so, that didn’t mean she couldn’t be gracious about it. While it was easy to rebuke one desperate vendor however, it was far more difficult to dissuade them all and before long she felt herself growing flustered by their shrill voices. Apologizing profusely did absolutely nothing. On the contrary, it only seemed to spur on their excitement and in her hasty attempt at an escape she managed to bump into a little girl, causing the child to stumble and fall.
Eyes widening, Magdalen immediately bent over and helped her to her feet. “I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?” The girl shook her head to indicate she was fine, skipping away to cling to the skirt of her mother who was busy sorting through a basket of fresh vegetables. Although she’d gone, something in the toddler’s eyes had caught her off-guard. But there was no point in reminiscing.
Lingering on the past only proved to be painful after all. Or at least … the past she could still remember. |
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Aug 11, 2009 1:18:27 GMT -6
When one lives so long by themselves, one gets used to being alone. Sol was definitely out of his comfort zone the minute he'd stepped into the market. He'd set out to try and find some deals on food that might be suitable for the ship. Really all he needed was some fresh stuff in order to get them through the few days trip to Antheia. Once there, he would properly stock up on less perishable forms of sustenance from the spaceport. The synthetic bars and freeze dried snacks were definitely less tasty, but boy was it better than all of your expensive imported vegetables going rotten within a week of space travel.
He sighed, pushing his way through the crowds with a crate he'd managed to fill with some reasonably priced goods. He couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't thought to send Booker to do this. The man wouldn't even have to work to get through the bustle of people. They probably parted for him as he arrived.
"Excuse me, excuse me..." he mumbled, growing more and more agitated at the people in his personal space. He was really missing the open forests of Antheia right then. No people, and all the fresh air he could want. He suddenly wondered why he'd even left. Oh... right... the stars. They were still his to explore.
Making the mistake of letting his brain wander off into daydreaming mode and attempting to weave through the crowds without thinking about it too much, he quite quickly managed to walk into the back of someone standing still, nearly dropping his crate in the process.
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 1:33:48 GMT -6
Jerked from her silent reverie by the feel of someone walking into her from behind, Magdalen jumped – startled by the sudden nudge she’d received – and spun around, ready to admonish what was sure to be another pesky vendor. However she stopped short upon realizing the man wasn’t attempting to sell anything, and her stormy grey eyes fell to appraise the wooden crate he cradled protectively in his arms.
A handful of moments passed before she allowed her attention to then return to his face, recognition steadily dawning on her and scrawling itself across delicate features. It wasn’t the hair or chiselled countenance that had everything falling into place, but the intensity of his eyes.
“Solomon.”
The name came effortlessly after she’d managed to place his face, as though it had been sitting on the tip of her tongue since they’d said their last goodbyes. Strange .. considering it was a feat for her to even recall the names of some of her closest relatives. Still, she supposed the fact that it was unique counted for something too, and a warm smile finally replaced the surprised expression that had her knitting her eyebrows together.
“Is it really you?” She needed confirmation. Not because she didn’t have faith in her own sense of judgment, but having suffered through hallucinations before urged her to take the extra precaution. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to be real.
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Aug 11, 2009 1:50:23 GMT -6
He jostled with the crate for a second, trying to get it comfortable in his grasp again after having it nearly tumble out of his arms. He quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I--" he couldn't help but stop when he glanced up at the blond woman who he'd walked into, who had now turned to look at him. She was looking at him so intently, her blue eyes wide. Why?
“Solomon.”
He froze, unsure of what to do. This was the second person to somehow recognize him in a matter of 48 hours. So much for going under the radar. Still, the longer he looked at her, the more he realized she was familiar, unlike the teenaged boy from the other day. He searched his brain, trying to figure out where he knew her from. She wasn't a relative... he was pretty sure she hadn't been on the military... was she from school? Would someone really be able to recognize him from middle school? Not likely.
“Is it really you?” she asked. She was pressing for him to answer, but he was too startled to think clearly. He wasn't sure if he should ask her name, lest he offend her. She remembered his name, after all. He couldn't even remember why her face was familiar to him.
He finally nodded, trying to come up with something to say while he let his brain process her face, trying to figure out who she was. "...yeah?" he finally spoke. Well, it wasn't much of something. But it was better than staring at her like a startled deer. Which he was pretty sure he was still doing anyway, come to think of it...
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 6:28:22 GMT -6
His lack of immediate response did not disappoint her. In fact she’d almost anticipated the perplexed and guarded look he shot her after she uttered his name. Obviously their encounter back on Antheia had meant a great deal more to her than it had Solomon himself. That fact also was not particularly surprising. He seemed like a man who had spent a good majority of time fending for himself while Magdalen thrived on cultivating relationships and maintaining human contact. She needed to be loved and cared for, despite the protests of her skeptical conscience.
Managing soft laughter, the young woman lifted one slender hand to rest against her face as she regarded him with a soft look. “You know, I could have easily been someone with the desire to collect a bounty. Giving me your name so readily like that wasn’t exactly smart, was it?” The joke was an attempt at humour, though she wasn’t sure she’d succeeded in her efforts.
In fact she wasn’t certain whether the man before her still knew how to laugh.
To be honest she hadn’t really known he’d been in trouble with the authorities either. The elderly couple she’d stayed with revealed very little about what they’d learnt from him. However she could tell by his body language alone that he was in a similar state as herself and quickly made the deduction that way.
“You encountered a nice old couple in Antheia quite a long time ago,” she began quietly. “They offered you supper and a room to stay in should you have liked to rest.” Cocking her head to one side, the blonde rolled her eyes and laughed again.
“Magdalen. Does that help you any?”
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Aug 11, 2009 12:42:32 GMT -6
“You know, I could have easily been someone with the desire to collect a bounty."
"You're not a bounty hunter. You're too..." Pretty? No, Grace had also been attractive and she was a ship's captain. Probably a smuggler too. "...small," he finished, not really thinking that one through either. She wouldn't be able to take him on physically based on strength alone, but a well concealed gun... that would easily do the trick.
"And a citizen wouldn't--" Then a thought dawned on him, and he quickly lowered his voice. "Wait, is there still a bounty for me??" No... that was over a decade ago. And he'd never been top priority. Surely anything on his head would be wiped clean by now? He'd even checked the bounty lists and come up with nothing. Still, the idea that the first thing she said was someone could be collecting a bounty on him... it unnerved him. He glanced around, suddenly feeling awkwardly aware of his surroundings in the crowd.
When the woman began talking about a farming couple on Antheia, he had to think about it for a moment. Dinner and lodging? He'd never... oh. She's right. There was one time a year or so ago, that he'd done an errand for the Elves, and had been sent to a nearby farm to trade. The couple who lived there must have sensed that he'd been living by himself in the forest, and had offered him their place for a night. He'd accepted dinner with little resistance (he hadn't had a home cooked meal in ages), but when it seemed the kind old woman wouldn't let him leave the building if he wasn't staying the night, he finally gave in and slept the night in the bed they'd offered him.
This woman, though... he could barely remember. She was there, yes, he remembered that now. She had been staying at the farm long term. But how much had they talked? He couldn't remember. He'd tried his best not to get too deeply into conversation. He had grown too used to being alone, and the people around the table certainly didn't want to hear about how many rabbits he'd caught in the week. Boring stuff. No, he'd focused on eating, and listening, mostly.
“Magdalen. Does that help you any?” she asked him with anticipation.
Magdalen. That was it. It triggered a bit of the dinner conversation. "Oh... uh... yeah, you were having memory problems or something, right?" Just like I am now, you stupid dolt. Way to go. She's all excited to see you again and you don't even know her name.
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 17:46:47 GMT -6
Magdalen looked momentarily taken aback, one slender eyebrow arched to best convey the questioning look his remark had elicited. “Small?” she echoed, a touch of humourless laughter lacing her otherwise stern tone. “After all this time you still doubt the capability of a person based on their size? There are plenty of things I could do that wouldn’t require I wrestle you to the ground if I merely wanted to restrain you.”
Judging by the anxious expression that flared suddenly within his eyes, this conversation wasn’t boding well for either of them. Did he still suffer the after-effects of having lived in solitude on Antheia for so long? Perhaps she was more adept than Solomon at keeping her composure intact due to the time she’d spent with that older farming couple? He’d had no one after all, at least to her knowledge. So it was easy to assume she had the advantage in that sense. Having considered making another teasing comment on bounties and carelessness, Solomon’s unexpected reaction had her doubling back on that course of action so as to avoid upsetting him further. The last thing they needed was to cause a scene in the middle of a busy marketplace where they had – at one point in time – both been wanted by the authorities.
“I don’t know anything about your credibility in Terra,” she assured him plainly. “Whatever reputation you left behind, whether upheld or disregarded, is something you’ll just have to figure out for yourself. I’ve taken to lying low for the time being; at least until I’m certain that I no longer present myself as some kind of target.” She didn’t need to advise him to do the same however. He was a grown man more than qualified to make his own decisions.
Her gaze eventually fell again to appraise the crate he’d been carrying, eyeing it with mild interest.
“Stocking up I see. Good idea, you’ll find that all of these people will be more than willing to offer you a bargain.”
Sighing, she then folded her arms and nodded soberly. “Yes. My memory still hasn’t made a full recovery. Fragments of it fade in and out, so I have a hard time keeping track of them. But it won’t be much longer before everything falls into place. It’s all suppressed and just needs to be triggered properly.” She still had faith it would happen somehow, but there was no use in trying to force it. Allowing a small pause to settle between them and glancing off towards the preoccupied crowd, Magdalen decided to return to their previous subject of discussion … but only briefly.
“Anyway, I didn’t think you’d remember me. It was long ago and we barely exchanged more than a handful of words.” Her pensive expression became a soft smile. “Regardless, at the time you’d represented to me a sense of familiarity. It was an odd sort of comfort, so thanks.”
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Aug 11, 2009 18:14:20 GMT -6
She was also lying low? What had she done? She seemed nice. And as far as he could remember, she'd seemed nice on Antheia. Then again, he'd been wanted as well and as far as he was concerned it was for standing up for the right thing. Maybe her story was similar. If only humans weren't so hard to read... trees were trees, rocks were rocks. You know what they are and you know their story. Humans... so many variables, so many lives, so many...
Lies.
"I, uh... I'm sorry," Sol apologized, not even sure why, but he felt like it was needed. Maybe for not remembering her right off the bat. Maybe for bringing up her past. "I'm just... I'm on edge a bit. I hate these crowds and to top it all off I had a weird encounter the other night with someone else who recognized me. Unfortunately it wasn't from a previous social encounter such as yourself. I must confess, I prefer you over him so far. You haven't tried to rip out my throat yet." He paused for a moment, deciding to shake off his tenseness and finally crack a bit of a smile"...you aren't going to rip out my throat... right?"
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 18:28:44 GMT -6
She watched as his expression made the transition from skeptical and guarded, to something more civil and then smiled gently in return … perhaps to encourage him? She wasn’t there to cause the man any harm after all, and with the unfortunate circumstances they’d been dealt, Magdalen decided they both could use some form of comfort and reassurance. Even so, she’d need to be cautious about the way she spoke with him. As he’d already admitted he was a bit on edge and being too forward would only succeed in rousing that instinctive paranoia they'd both since become accustomed to.
At least, she considered it something of a constant companion.
His awkward apology was charming in its own way and she could appreciate it for what it was. She hadn’t expected it and so blinked in obvious surprise, lips parting as though she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to go about it.
“Well I’m glad we’ve started off on the right foot. Ripping someone’s throat out as a form of introduction never really was my style, so you don’t have to worry.” She laughed again, tucking a stray piece of hair bashfully behind her ear and meeting his eyes with a cheerful grin. It was nice to be able to have a friendly conversation.
“If you don’t mind my asking, what do you plan on doing next? I can’t imagine you wanting to remain in Terra longer than necessary and judging by that crate of yours … you’re planning on taking another trip.”
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Aug 11, 2009 18:49:11 GMT -6
Sol glanced down at his crate. "Oh, yeah. I'm stocking up on some food. I just got myself a ship, and a crew... we're headed off tonight, but I was still lacking in the food area." He adjusted the crate in his arms. "Just some vegetables and stuff. Some meat..." he smiled, not able to control his mind wandering back to the weird old lady who had practically given it to him for free after he'd paused to help her with a falling over stall.
He glanced back up at Magdalen. "We're headed back to Antheia for a bit. I have to drop off some things. Then... well, the sky's the limit I suppose. Take some passengers maybe. Find some people who have jobs for us..." He wondered about her now. Why she'd left her life on that nice farm, with the hospitable couple. "How long have you been on Terra?"
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 19:03:06 GMT -6
She listened patiently, ignoring several older women who shoved past without much care as to where they stuck their elbows. So he was heading back to Antheia? That wasn’t particularly shocking. The planet was so lush and beautiful, and its people undeniably gracious. Anyone without a good reason would have been mad to leave it behind.
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad things are underway for you.” Her praise seemed sincere and she clasped her hands together demurely, watching him with an intent expression. “As for myself … well. I just arrived back in Terra a few months ago. It’s a long story, but I’ve been digging around for some specific information. I’ve learned a few things from my visit; however that leaves me with no other incentive to stay. To be quite honest I have no idea what I’ll do now, or how I’ll go about figuring that out. A little pathetic, wouldn’t you say?”
This time her laughter was hindered by sadness and regret, and she averted her eyes so that they could sweep absently along the street.
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Aug 11, 2009 19:11:54 GMT -6
He studied her as she spoke. There was something there, in the way she worded things... explaining without really explaining. The expression across her face, masked well but not quite well enough. She was hiding things from her past. Not unlike himself, he realized. It made him that much more curious about her. He started wonder exactly why they hadn't talked much back on the farm.
"Hmm." He merely said with a nod. When she finished, there was a moment of awkward silence. Neither of them knew where to go from there. She wouldn't even look at him for a second, off in her own mind, probably. He finally blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So, we're both kind of aimless right now, eh?"
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 19:31:03 GMT -6
She blinked again, lifting her chin to survey Solomon’s neutral expression. “Yes, I suppose you’re right about that.”
The silence that settled between them was uncomfortable and she could tell he was becoming restless. At least, it was the vibe she received when she studied his rigid posture. Then again, Magdalen always seemed to read too deeply into things. It had become something of a bad habit over the years, one which she tried hopelessly to shake. And then something occurred to her. It should have been glaringly obvious before but had managed to evade the claws of common sense up until that moment.
The young woman bit down upon her lower lip, considering the prospect but much too shy to ask him. They’d only just exchanged proper introductions! And he seemed like the type of individual who very rarely extended his trust towards others, much less put faith in someone's integrity. Even so, it was worth a try. What did she possibly have to lose?
“You said you were looking for passengers,” she began somewhat timidly. One hand had lifted to toy with a golden curl, and it took several moments before Magdalen could force herself to meet his eyes. “I … I could be of assistance to you, if you would agree to accept me on board? I realize I may be asking too much, but I possess some skills you and your crew might find useful.” She made a valiant effort not to sound desperate but it was difficult when the one person who seemed to have accepted her was about to slip away.
“Obviously you have no real reason to trust me, and therefore I understand if you’re not keen on the idea. However we both seem to be in something of the same predicament. Maybe we’d be able to help each other?” Whether he declined or agreed, she could at least be content with the knowledge that she’d tried.
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Aug 11, 2009 19:53:46 GMT -6
The thought had begun to cross his mind, but he hadn't thought it a real possibility until she finally spoke it out loud. Suddenly, he was intrigued. Also, another female on board for Olive would certainly not be a bad idea.
"What sorts of skills?" he asked quickly. Maybe a little to eagerly. So far he had a pilot, mechanic, medic, and... maybe a cook... but Thomas Quillan still had yet to get back to him on that. He wasn't sure he was going to at this point. What else he was lacking on the ship, he wondered.
"However we both seem to be in something of the same predicament. Maybe we’d be able to help each other?”
He suddenly realized he would possibly be taking on a fugitive with a current, deserved bounty on her. That part made him a little more wary all of the sudden. He decided it best to double check. "I, uh... apologies if it's too much to ask, but... are you in any serious danger? Is anyone on your trail, or your name out with a bounty? I... I wouldn't want to be putting the crew at further risk..." Then after a further beat, he decided to add: "You don't have to go into detail. We can always discuss that later. I just want to know the... level of 'predicament' you find yourself in, if you catch my drift..."
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Aug 11, 2009 20:12:10 GMT -6
Magdalen’s eyes lit up as a note of interest crept into his tone and she seized the opportunity, managing to keep herself from answering too quickly lest she come off as obnoxious. “Well, there was a period of time during which I’d been employed by the Top’s citizens. Although … we more or less consider them a sort of aristocracy.” She glanced off then, straining to recall as much as she could. “I don’t exactly remember what I’d originally been meant to do, or who had requested my services to begin with … but I picked up on various dialects, many of them alien. Over time I became fluent in a handful of these and acted as an interpreter of sorts during business meetings and social calls.” Hopefully he’d find some kind of use for her; it was almost unfortunate she wasn’t especially adept when it came to advertising herself.
Still she gave it a genuine effort and smiled hopefully up at him, being a few inches shorter.
“Otherwise I can manage most menial tasks … though you shouldn’t worry about my getting in the way. The last thing I’d want to do is make myself out to be a nuisance.”
And then he broached the dreaded subject she’d been attempting to avoid throughout their conversation – the matter of her bounty and why she’d been forced onto Antheia in the first place.
Exhaling, she glanced down either side of the street to ensure no one was eavesdropping and leaned in a little closer to Solomon, eyes betraying the outward calm she always strived to maintain. “The bounty was never intended for me, but my brother. To be honest I ended up on Antheia out of choice. Before … I was something of a coward. But I can assure you it is more my searching for someone and not the reverse. There is no reason my presence would endanger your ship or crew and once I find what I’m looking for, I promise you’ll never have to see me again. As it stands that’s all I’m able to tell you.”
This time she did not allow her eyes to leave his, staring at him with a fervent expression … as though she were trying to demonstrate her sincerity wordlessly.
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